SweetCruiser39

Not trying to be a downer here, but there are NO poolside waiters in the Havana area AT ALL. Everyone has to go to the bar to order drinks, only one bartender on duty at the Havana bar during the day.

I am reading that they are letting you bring Alcohol on Vista embarkation, not just wine or Champagne.

Can anyone confirm this?

 

Also it states that on European cruises, you can bring alcohol on from port and bring to your cabin.

 

hmmm who has been on Vista and can comment?

We literally walked into the store at the port in Barcelona, bought Vodka and Bailey's, and walked on holding it. We didn't even try to conceal it and no one said a thing.

AND do the Havana Pool waiters walk down the promenade to service those of us who are just too lazy to get off our porch swing? :)

This is what I'm hoping for!

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Oddly enough, there are no pool waiters in the Havana area. I didn't even think about this until someone asked.

Great! Thanks for your response! Maybe if we are really, really nice and tip really, really well, we can get someone from the Havana Bar to bring us drinks. I appreciate the help!! Looking forward to this cruise!!

Honestly, I'm sure you can. I found that the bartenders tried to be very accommodating, well, the guys working in the Havana bar.

Hi again, SweetCruiser39. Did you ever get the Cuban coffee from the Havana Bar? That is one of the things I am looking forward to given our cabin's proximity to the bar. I appreciate all the info you have provided, especially that you don't hear any music from the bar at night.

 

The location of these cabins is amazing.

I didn't try any of the Cuban coffees because they were an extra fee. But there was regular self service coffee every morning in the Havana bar, which was fine for me.

We did not have a coffee machine in our Havana suite.

We have a Havana Cabana on our upcoming cruise. Our friends just booked a non-havana cabin to accompany us on this trip. Can we walk them to our private lanai to hang out with us? Will we need to "pick them up" or can they get to our cabin from the Havana Bar hallways without having the bracelet or a room key? I understand they will not be able to get to us via the outside promenade, but if they want to come and visit for a cocktail, do we have to escort them to our cabin?

 

AND do the Havana Pool waiters walk down the promenade to service those of us who are just too lazy to get off our porch swing? :)

We just got off the Vista staying in one of the Havana suites. Yes, anyone can come to your cabin door, regardless if they are staying in a Havana cabin and yes, you can have whoever you want on your private patio. No, the waiters do not walk down the promenade to service the individual cabins. Actually, there was no waiter service at all on the Havana pool deck. I did hav one of the bartenders offer to bring me my drink after I had ordered it when I was laying out by the pool, but no continuous service.

We haven't booked a Havana cabin, but I have no issues with this type of change. I think one reason that Carnival doesn't keep it private 24/7 is because of $$$. They want to open it up so there is a larger audience to come in and spend money on drinks in the evening.

No, the Havana bar is always open to the public, so that can't be the reason. It's has a bar outside by the pool and inside for everyone.

Just did 8 nights staying in HC and totally agree with your review. Thought HC area was brilliant.

Loved the lanai, very private. Most people didn't seem to use them at all which I was surprised at.

We were lucky to have the HC pool private until 7pm. Most time pool and hot tub was empty. Though there was quite a large party of women who hogged hot tub for hours one afternoon.

The large beds by the HC pool were fantastic.

My only minor complaint is there are no umbrellas to protect you from the sun for the sunbeds. I don't like sunbathing and prefer to be in the shade.

Apart from first night ATD was great. We ate about 8pm, the waiting staff were brilliant despite being mad busy.

Loads of great areas to sunbathe on Deck 5 even if not in HC.

Wouldn't have wanted to sunbathe on Lido deck. Too busy and loud for us.

Totally loved our holiday.

I noticed the same thing! Few people out on their patio! So strange.

The ship does stay on Barcelona time. Even in Greece, where the time was an hour ahead, we were told to abide by ship time. It got a bit confusing for everyone.

I've also just come off Vista and agree with much of this review. The ship grew on me over the eight days:

 

Good points

- functional and good sized staterooms

- excellent use of outside space on deck 5 which was a great place to sit in the evening

- non-formal dining options, e.g. Mongolian wok, burgers, burritos and pasta made to order and pizza at lunchtime were great

- Ji Ji was well worth the cover charge and we also enjoined Bonsai sushi on a few evenings

- Havana area by the pool was a lovely place to hang out in the evenings

- buffet was well laid out and never felt crowded (but this might be due to just one sea day)

- the children enjoyed club and loved all the activities on the sports deck and the water slides etc. It's a fun ship for kids

- speedy embarkation and disembarkation

- carnival app is really excellent and useful

 

The not so good:

 

- hated the sea day due to overcrowding on pool decks. It was so busy I was struggling to be able to keep an eye on my kids in the pool. I've never experienced a ship so overcrowded around the pools on a sea day

- carnival not my cup of tea for poolside evtertainment - blaring music and hairy chest competitions, but i suspect I was in the minority. The staff definitely know how to get people up and partying. The evening deck party was really busy

- The YTD was a complete failiure and we gave up after two nights as the food was not worth the long wait for a table and painfully slow service - 2 hours plus for mediocre food which wasn't as good quality as the free lunchtime options, such as Mongolion Wok. Both evenings it took 30 mins of being at table before we were served a drink. Queues for the dining eased over the course of the week as I think others got fed up too.

- I think a lot of fellow Europeans were surprised by gratuity on drinks and Spanish VAT which collectively added 25% to drinks prices. However, bar prices were still cheaper than Celebrity last month. On a positive note, no one was stopping people from bringing alcohol onboard

- port info provided was poor compared to other lines and the shuttle bus prices were laughable. $17 pp in Palma vs a taxi for 4 people for less than €25 return

- Poor hygiene was a major problem on this ship. They have hand washing stations and gel, but no one enforces it and subsequently seeing anybody using either was a rarity. This compared really badly with other cruise lines and I was very surprised.

- kids on the whole were well behaved but there were a few whose parents let them roam around causing havoc for staff (throwing ice creams, causing a mess in the family Harbor lounge)

- other guests generally friendly, but my husband witnessed two incidents of passengers being aggressive with staff on the Skyride who refused to let them ride because they weren't wearing appropriate shoes. In one case the passenger was photographing the member of staff and making threats. My husband felt he had to go and report this to the front desk so that the member of staff was not reprimanded when a complaint was made by the guest. He received a lovely thank you note and some chocolate covered strawberries for doing this.

 

All in all a fantastic holiday, but NCL and Celebrity still edge it for us (the former in part because of free drinks packages).

Fortunately, staying in the Havana cabins, we did not have to deal with many of the issues that you mentioned.

As for the VAT taxes, that is still being debated. There should have been at least one stop that exempted us. Cruise lines NEVER do this. Carnival never does this. I understand with other itineraries that lost Turkey as a port, but we had our original itinerary. Trust me, it's not just the European folks who are upset about this.

I have been on Celebrity as well and probably would have not come back to Carnival except for the Havana cabins.

It was so refreshing to get a review of the ship and not the ports of call. Staying in the Havana area Feb 2017 and want to thank you for the info. Great to here they upped the time to 7pm for Havana guests, and that the music was not a factor for Havana interiors on deck 5. What dining time did you have in the MDR? We do MTD and have read that you go to deck 5 (which we are on) to sign up for dinner. Is this correct? Again thanks for the review on the ship not the ports. We are doing the carrib. and don't care about Europe stops:

We had late seating dining at 8:15. I have to admit, we were 15 to 30 minutes late every night, but our table was still there waiting for us. We were on deck 5 as well, so every night, we walked by the LONG line of people waiting for a table. There is no way I would do MTD on a ship this large.

Which Havana Suite were you in? We have 5233 in February and my only concern (very slight concern) is possibly hearing the noise from the band at the Havana Bar at night. Given we don't share a wall and we have a hallway along with our closet and bathroom to act as a buffer, I assume it is not an issue.

 

Can't wait !!!

I was in Havana suite # 5235.....we would have been neighbors. And no, you can not hear the Havana Bar AT ALL in these cabins.

I had a Havana suite on August 6 for the 12 day Med cruise, but my daughter had a Havana Interior. And the answer is no, the only way for the Interior cabins to enter the pool area was through the Havana Bar.

As for the music, my daughter said that they never heard a thing. There is a door that ****s off the hallway of the Havana cabins that they close at night which I would imagine blocks much of the music.

Personally, there is no way I would give up even a Havana Interior for a balcony. That is, not if you enjoy time by the pool.

So, I wanted to wait a week after getting off the Vista so I could really think about what I would like to say when attempting to give an honest review. I'm by far not a professional at this......the 12 day Med cruise was my 11th cruise, 9th on Carnival.

I've read a lot of reviews of the Carnival Vista, many of them comparing her to others in the Carnival fleet. I don't really think that is fair, because the Vista really provides a different experience than any other ship I, at least, have been on. I believe when she was designed, the intent was to take as much activity as possible "outside". So no, you don't get the "wow" factor when you first step onboard as you do on some of the other Carnival ships......with glass elevators and bling everywhere......but instead, the "wow" comes when you step out on deck and see all the outside space, the gorgeous Havana pool and bar area, and all the activity of the sports deck. So with that, I'll share what I can about the ship. I'm not going to go into a review of the ports. I think reading reviews on ports is rather boring, and everyone's experience is so different, really, largely based on what you decide to do. So with that, here is what I thought of the Carnival Vista

Embarkation was a snap. We arrived at the Barcelona cruise terminal at around 12:30 PM. After a quick stop to purchase a bottle of Absolute vodka and a bottle of Bailey's, we were directed upstairs to check in. I was staying in a Havana suite and my daughter in a Havana Interior, but they allowed us both to check in the VIP area, as there was no line at all. So we had no wait. And yes, we walked right in with the liquor, no need to hide it.

I had done enough research on the ship that I knew what to expect. Instead of the atrium with the glass elevators, there is an oval bar and Dreamscape, the three-deck high LCD funnel. I, personally, loved it. We headed straight for deck 5, the Promenade deck, and to our cabins. To my surprise, there is a second Dreamscape rising up from the bar at the casino on deck 4. Neat!

After having read SO MUCH negative speculation about the Havana area and cabins, I couldn't wait to check out my suite to see how relieved, or disappointed I would be. At the aft end of the ship, Promenade deck, there is the Havana Bar, but take a left, and a sign directs you to the Havana cabins and suites. There is a door there where the hallway can be shut off at night, cutting off the noise coming from the Havana Bar. I was in suite # 5235, my daughter has inside cabin # 5225. I went into my cabin with my key card (also used for sail and sign), and found my Havana experience wristbands and two card keys to be used to get into my patio from the outside. These patio keys are also to be used to enter the deck area outside of the Havana patios when coming from the public area of the promenade deck. That area IS NOT open to the public. I saw some guy on the first day manage to climb up and open the gate from the inside, and he was quickly escorted out by the crew. Long story short, I absolutely LOVED my Havana suite and patio from the minute I stepped in it. All my worries were quickly put to rest, and I immediately knew this was going to be an awesome experience for me.

As I said, I absolutely loved my Havana experience. The view was beautiful, the glass partitions did not take away from it in the least. I allowed myself every night a couple of hours to just relax in the swing, enjoying the peace and quiet. Many people have expressed disappointment in the lack of a full size hammock, but I didn't miss it at all. There is also a full size lounger, a kind of "half" lounger with a footstool, and a matching table. The amazing part was, 99% of the time, I was completely alone when out on my patio. I rarely saw any of my neighbors, other than the English lady right next door who took a daily nap in her lounger. I can't imagine booking this beautiful area and not enjoying it to the fullest. Of course, there may have been others that I just could not see. Surprisingly, the patios are much more private than you would think. The solid partition between patios gives you as much, if not more, privacy than a standard balcony room. I, however, chose to use my patio to the fullest. There is so much room......I had breakfast there every morning, my group of 5 could easily hang out there, and I found my patio area to be much cooler than the Havana pool area. Towards the end of my cruise, I actually thought to look up at the balconies above me. It was a bit shocking how small they looked and how little space they provided as compared to the Havana patios. Thinking back at past cruises, I realized I used and enjoyed my Havana patio probably 100% more than I ever did a balcony in past cruises. It's safe to say, I'm a fan, and I have to applaud Carnival and whoever came up with the design of these cabins.

Aside from how wonderful the Havana "cabanas" are, the mere convenience of these cabins makes them worth booking. I never went to the deck area through my cabin door, but instead, chose to always enter and exit from my patio. Plus, being on the Promenade deck, everything you could possibly need is right there. Unfortunately for my piggybank, the Javablue coffee shop is also just steps away.....an obvious replacement for my Starbucks habit back home.

The Havana bar, which spills out onto the Havana pool area, was often pretty happening, but we could just barely hear the music on our patio. My daughter said they did not hear it, even in their inside cabin. Speaking of which, this is one thing that kind of bothered me.....a lack of music. Someone had said that Cuban music could be heard, piped in to the Havana patios. This was not the case on my cruise. In fact, there was no music AT ALL, even during the day, at the Havana pool area. This didn't bother me too much, since I was looking for the relaxation. But my 23 year old daughter said that the Havana area is, "boring and full of old people". Ok, I guess that means me. She much preferred the craziness of the Lido deck, and believe me, it was crazy. We walked up there several times on our sea days and it was sooo crowded, and LOUD.

So to finish up my review of the Havana area.......I loved it, and wouldn't change a thing other than the one thing they already changed, which was raising the time of public access to 7:00 PM. (And yes, the crew was quick to enforce armbands). The area was swamped by 5:03 by teens and children, so at that time, I headed to my patio. But since that has been corrected, I can't imagine cruising now in any other cabin when the Havana is offered. HOWEVER, I will say, for those looking to party down and the music, dancing, and hairy chest contest, this probably is not the cabin category for you. Like I said, I doubt my daughter would ever want to book one of these cabins again, well, at least not until she is older.

For those staying on deck 6 and 7 in the Havana aft cabins, I kind of wonder if those cruisers will really get the full experience of the Havana area. I thought they were supposed to have the swings, but I didn't see any. And I'm not sure how it would be in a balcony, looking down at the Havana pool area instead of the ocean. But to each his own. I do think that next time, I will forego the suite for just the Havana cabana. With the limited perks that Carnival offers for suite guests, it's a lot of money to pay for an extra room, an extra television, and a rain shower and dual vanity. For me, the patio is what made it, and those are exactly the same regardless if you are in a suite or regular Havana cabana cabin. Plus, when the sofa bed is pulled out into a bed, it leaves about a 4 inch space to squeeze through to get to the patio and blocks the refrigerator all together.

Since the majority of my time was spent in the Havana area, that was the biggest part of my review. Now I'll touch on other aspects of my cruise:

SERVICE: no problem there except for my room stewardess! Never an introduction, didn't even see her until maybe the third day. One port day, we got back to the cabin at 5:30 and the room had not been cleaned. Three of the 12 nights on board, no turn down surface, and my 18 year old son was forced to sleep on the sofa. My daughter asked the stewardess for a laundry bag, she said she would be back with one, never to return. I passed her in the hall several times, busy on her cell phone, which I can't imagine is allowed.

Anyway, other than that, service was great. The young lady in the coffee shop always remembered my name. The crew at the service desk always went out of their way to be helpful and accommodating. The guys working in the Havana pool deck were always super friendly and sweet. Our waiters at late seating dining in the Reflections dining room worked crazy hard and were always genuinely concerned that we were satisfied.

FOOD: food in the MDR was fine. I'm not a big fan of the American table dining that Carnival has gone to, and it was three days in before we noticed the additional selections on the right side of the menu that changed based on what port we had just visited. It would have been nice if the waiters had offered up suggestions, but they did not. As we walked by the long line of people every night waiting for a table for "my time dining", we were very grateful that we had chosen a designated dining time. Plus we enjoyed watching our waiters sing and "try" to dance every night. They were terrible, but they get an "A" for effort and it provided the best laughs on the ship.

For breakfast, I always had room service just bring me coffee and a continental breakfast. But there were self service items and coffee in the Havana bar.

We were not onboard for 8 of the 12 days for lunch, but when we were, we ate at Guys Burgers. We all thought it was awesome, and for my daughter, the vegetarian, they were happy to cook her up a veggie burger. One day we decided to try the Asian restaurant, which is free for lunch. After a 20 minute wait, service was terrible and the food, plain. It did seem very fresh, I think I just ordered wrong. But after the terrible service, I didn't give it another shot.

Room service was actually awesome. The Caesar salads are much better than in the MDR, and the chocolate cake is to die for.

ENTERTAINMENT: we caught two of the adults only comedy acts, unfortunately, neither were very funny. I felt like we waited in line to hear someone throw around the F bomb.

We rushed through dinner one night to catch the 9:30 showing of Flick. The Liquid Lounge was standing room only, so I really only caught a glimpse of the show, but heard it is awesome. We went to the 7:30 show before dinner to see "America Rocks", and found it both impressive and entertaining. Being a big music fan, especially of American hard rock, I thought it was going to be laughable at best. But I must say, with the costumes and the music and how it was presented, I loved it.

There were two DJ's onboard, and wherever DJ Cruz was, that was where the party was at. Whether he was in the Havana bar, Ocean Plaza, or on deck.......everyone, including myself, seemed to thoroughly enjoy when he was the one playing the music.

As for the sports deck, we waited for about 45 minutes for the Sky ride. (Don't forget your closed toe shoes, our wait was greatly decreased because of people having to get out of line for wearing the wrong shoes). We LOVED the Sky ride, definitely worth the wait. It is both scarier, and more fun than I ever imagined. It's also a great work out for the legs. Wish we had of had time to do it again! We also rode both watersides while in port when the lines were short. The kaleidoscope slide, which you use a tube to go down, was fun, the yellow slide, no big deal. The waterworks area was pretty neat for kids. We didn't try out the ropes course, but it was entertaining watching those who did.

My daughter went to the IMAX theatre and said it was awesome. She was surprised how large the theatre was and said it was just like an IMAX theatre on land. We also went to the Thrill Theatre which was ok, probably more entertaining for kids. It's just a short 3D movie where the seats move a bit and water and wind shoots on you. Both of these activities were at an extra charge.

The Havana swimming pool was fantastic before 5:00, not crowded at all, and at times, I was the only one in the jacuzzis. We went to check out the other pools and jacuzzis, and the water was so murky, I don't think I would have gotten in them.

That's it. I can't think of anything else really to say. I loved the layout of the ship, it was the easiest to get around that I have ever experienced. I could go into my experience with the VAT tax, but since that hasn't even been settled yet, I'm going to leave that topic alone. I think the Vista is a beautiful ship for anyone who truly loves cruising and the experience of being out on the ocean. For those who like the glitz of some of Carnival's other ships and who really just use the ship as a hotel to get from one point to another, this may not be the ship for you.

OPPS! I nearly forgot! The Carnival Hub App. Awesome!!! I remember the days when people used walkie talkies to communicate on cruise ships. No more! And it also keeps you up to date on what is happening onboard the ship each day. Well worth the 5 dollars.

OPPS AGAIN! I posted a picture, but forgot to mention the violinist! This guy was incredible! And who would have thought? A violinist? Listening to him gave me chills, stopped me dead in my tracks. He did a version of the song "Titanium" that, wow, there are no words.

And of course, Matt, the cruise director, was the best I've ever seen.

NOT AN OPPS, BUT A "TIP" I WANT TO SHARE: We joined another group in Corfu, Greece for a private shore excursion. I won't get into the details of what happened, but we were about an HOUR LATE getting back to the ship. I was about to have a nervous breakdown, when I noticed one of the gentlemen in our group on his cell phone. On the back of the FUN TIMES for each port is an emergency number where you can call Carnival if you are having a problem and can't get back to the ship in time. Maybe because there were 17 of us, but they held the ship. In all my years of cruising, I've never experienced anything like that. There was a Carnival official waiting for us who escorted us through security and onto the ship, FAST. As soon as we were onboard, they slammed the door and pushed off. Very, very nerve racking. But remember to take the days FUN TIMES for each day with you when you go ashore, just in case!!!

Found another video a Havana Cabana suite, this is cabin 5235

 

https://www.facebook.com/kandyprice/videos/10209966344097347/

Hey! That was my cabin.......wait a minute.....that was my video! Heehee. It's still up, as far as I know, should be anyway. I wonder if I can figure out how to post it here? I did a review of my 12 day Med cruise and my experience in the Havana area that folks seemed to like. Maybe I can post that over here as well.

It's been announced that the Havana area is now private until 7pm rather than 5pm.

 

Not sure what difference it will make but seems like good thing to me!

 

 

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It is going to make a HUGE difference. I just got off the Vista on August 18th. We had one of the Havana suites. People lined up to get in the area at 4:30 and by 5:03 (yes, I timed it), the area was over run by teens in the jacuzzi and kids in the pool. It was a bit frustrating on port days because it seemed like we got back on the ship every day right around 5:00 PM. Would have been fantastic to have been able to cool off in the pool or enjoy sailing away from port without all the mayhem. My family all agreed, they should extend the time and it was the ONE negative about the Havana area. I can't believe it changed to 7:00 the very next cruise, but I'm happy for those cruising afterwards who paid for the area.

Oh, and oddly enough, the one jacuzzi that the teens took over every single day broke down half way through the cruise and never was open again for the remainder of the cruise.

10% on food and beverages. 21% on everything else. This was from an actual letter that was passed out to cruisers in June on Carnival.

Yea! Finally! I will be curious how this area will work during the day once the Vista is in the Caribbean. When cruising Europe, and the writer stated, most guests are exploring the sites, not hanging out by the pool. The Caribbean will see more activity.

We actually have 3 sea days on our 12 day Med cruise in August (the most sea days I have heard about so far), so I am curious as well to see how it goes. I booked a Havana suite because I very much enjoy my deck time in the sun.

Folks who have already sailed the Vista say the Havana area gets packed after 5:30. I think the whole psychology of this is very interesting. And of course, there are the passengers that are hell bent to get into the Havana area just because it is not allowed. With the 3 sea days we have on our August cruise, I'm hoping to get a real feel of this area for the future.

One thing I have noticed, if an excursion is sold out, you can pretty much guarantee that it won't be for long. If a particular excursion is in demand, the cruise line is going to find a way to accommodate everyone. I would just wait a bit and check back ever so often. It will appear again.

It's so nice to FINALLY read a review that contradicts so much of the negative speculation that has been circling out there by people who have never even stayed in a Havana cabin.

For everyone who has been asking questions about the Havana area on Carnival Vista, I found this article that addresses many of them! Enjoy!

http://www.sunglassesandumbrelladrinks.com/2016/07/carnival-vista-havana-cabana/

I have 2 Havana interior rooms booked for July 29th. I'll report back on my take.

You are sailing right before us, so that would be great! We have one suite and one inside cabin in the Havana. I just want to be prepared for "whatever".....especially regarding enforcement of Havana guests before 5:00 pm only. Sadly, on another social media site, one lady who was staying in a Havana cabana tried to share her experience. But as soon as she did, WOW.....she was called an elitist, snob....it was ridiculous. I think after that, she decided it was best to leave that topic alone.

I will let you know September 3! I too have heard mixed reviews...

Thanks, but I'm staying in a Havana suite in August! So unless someone speaks up pretty quickly, I may be letting you know! LOL.

I'm thinking....the experience must be good or we would certainly hear about it from past guests. I've noticed that a lot of the negative speculation is coming from folks who are booked on the Vista, but not in the Havana area. Folks seem to feel the need to justify why they didn't book a Havana cabin, possibly trying to convince themselves? Then others, who actually are booked in the Havana area, are second guessing themselves based on that speculation, myself included.

In reality, I have only read about one incident (kids knocking on someone's patio door in the middle of the night) from a passenger who actually has stayed in a Havana Cabana. And before that incident, her reviews were all positive! But of course, it is this one incident that everyone is going nuts over.

Hi All,

There is ALOT of talk on other social media sites about the Havana area with much speculation. I would love to read a review from anyone who has actually sailed on the Vista and stayed in one of these cabins, especially the Havana cabanas or suites.

For example, is the crew actually policing the area to make sure it is only Havana guests before 5 pm? What about the walkway outside of the cabana patios? Are they truly only for Havana guests or can anyone walk by after 5 pm? And if so, ho crowded are the areas, especially on sea days?

Greatly appreciate anyone who can provide some first hand experience on this.